Hook and eye garment fastener



M. COHN HOOK AND EYE GARMENT FASTENER Dec. 13, 1966 Filed March 5, 1965 NV ENTOR MAUR C E CCH N AT1-OR NEYS FIG 6 United States Patent O HOOK AND EYE GARMENT FASTENER Maurice Cohn, South St., South Coventry, Conn. Filed Mar. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 436,768 6 Claims. (Cl. 24-227) This invention relates to fastening devices for fabric garments or the like, |and deals more particularly with a two part fastener of the hook and eye variety.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a fastening device which can be readily :attached t a fabric garment on a clinchin-g machine without requiring an elaborate anvil or the like for closing down of the prongs on such device.

Another general object of the present invention is to provide -a fastening device which is very resistant to crushing during pressing of the garment to which it is attached.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a fastening device which includes a backing plate having prongs which extend forwardly through the garment so that the anvil usually required for bending and clinching the prongs is not required.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide a fastening device of the foregoing character wherein the prongs `are not visible Iafter the device has been attached to a garment.

A still further specic object of the invention is to provide fastening device wherein the hook or the eye element is so constructed that the prongs on the backing plates associated therewith are readily bent and clinched as t-he dev-ice is being attached to a garment.

The drawing shows preferred embodiments of the invention and such embodiments will be described, but it lwill be understood that various changes may be made from the construction disclosed and that the ldrawing and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this `specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Of the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an eye element of the present invention wit-h its `associated backing plate in disassembled relation;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1 as it would appear when being assembled with a fabric garment;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the FIG. 1 device taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing the device after it has been assembled with the garment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of `a hook element constructed in accordance with the present invention together with its associated backing plate, these parts being shown in disassembled relation and the portion of the hook element being broken away to reveal the bent end portion;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the hook element shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the hook element of FIG. 4fand FIG. 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the FIG. 4 device after it has been assembled with a fabric garment.

In FIG. 1, a device of the present invention is shown prior to assembly as comprising an eye lelement 10 having a body portion 12 which is transversely arched as shown. The eye element 10 further com-prises inturned end portions 14, 14 which :are in spaced relationship to the arched ybody portion 12 and whichdene downwardly facing preferably rectangular openings 16, 16. FIG. l also shows a backing plate 18 having spaced integral prongs 20, 20 adjacent opposite edges thereof and adapted frice to be received in the corresponding openings 16, 16 in the eye element 10. Each prong has a tapered end p0rtion as shown and is swaged on its outside surface to facilitate the clinching operation to be described. The backing plate 18 is preferably larched yas sh-own to correspond to the transversely arched body portion 12 of the eye element 10. n

As so constructed, the eye element 10 can be readily attached to its associated backing plate 18 with a fabric garment or the like, indicated generally at 22 in FIG. 2, interposed therebetween. The spaced integral prongs 20, 20 on the backing plate 18 will be seen to extend through the fabric 22 and through the openings 16, 16. As the device is so assembled in a clinching machine or the like, the -prongs 20, 20 will be bent inwardly toward one another ias a result of the arched body portion 12 of the eye element 10 yand `as a result of the swaged end portions lof the prongs 20, 20. As best shown in FIG. 3, the prongs provide a clinched connection between the eye element and the backing plate as they are bent toward one another during the clinching operation.

The backing plate 18 is similarly arched to maintain :a substantially uniform spacing with the arched body portion of the eye element. Another advantage to the arched backing plate 18 is that during assembly in a clinching machine the backing plate 18 will tend to become flattened, causing the prongs 20, 20 t-o incline toward one another, further facilitating the clinching operation. Still another advantage can lbe Iattributed to the arched backing plate in that after assembly the stresses set up between the bent prongs 20, 20 and .the arched portion of the backing plate 18 serve to lock the backing plate to the eye element. The arched portions of both the eye element 10 :and its associated backing plate 18 tend to resist collapsing of the abovementioned spacing ltherebetween and in fact the compression caused by pressing of the garment only serves to clinch the eye element and its associated backing plate together more securely. From FIG. 3 it will be `apparent that the spacing between the arched body portion 12 and the inturned end portions 14, 14 is of the order of magnitude of the t-hickness of the unswfaged portion of the prong which is positioned therein during the clinch-ing operation just described.

Turning now to FIG. 4, the second or mating part of a two part fastener is there shown in disassembled relationship. The device of FIG. 4 comprises a hook element 24 having a transversely arched body portion 26 one end of which defines la tongue and the other end of which is Iinturned to define a hol-low prong receiving portion. The prong receiving portion is defined by a front wall which is coextensive with the tongue and by a rear wall 30 which .is integrally connected to the front wall by a transversely extendingbend at the end of the hook element 24. While not necessarily required, an upstanding lip 32 is formed along the inner end of the rear wall 30 to prevent jamming of the hook element 24 when it is inserted in a yspace provided therefor between the eye element 10 `and the backing plate 18. The `rear wall 30 defines two transversely spaced rectangular openings 34, 34 as best shown in FIG. 6.

The device of FIG. 4 further comprises a backing plate 36 which has an integral tongue extending in the same direction and which is of approximately the same length as the corresponding tongue on hook element 24. The backing plate 36 is somewhat narrower in the transverse direction than the hook element 24 so that prongs 38, 38 integrally dened adjacent one end of the backing plate 36 can be received in the aforementioned openings 34, 34 in the hook element 24. The prongs 38, 38 are similar to the prongs 20, 20, having tapered end portions and being swaged at their outer faces to facilitate clinching with the associ-ated 'hook element. The backing plate 36 is preferably arched for the same reasons as discussed hereinabove `with reference to the arched backing plate 18 associated with the eye element 10.

As so constructed, the hook element 24 can be readily attached to its associated backing plate 36 with a fabric garment or the like, indicated gener-ally at 22 in FIG. 7, interposed therebetween. The transversely arched front wall of the hollow prong receiving portion of the hook element will vcause the prongs 38, 38 to bend inwardly toward one another in the same manner as discussed hereinabove with 4reference to the prongs 20, 2th on the backing plate 1S. The backing plate 36 is preferably arched to incline the prongs 38, 38 toward one another during the clinchin-g operation and to more securely hold the hook element after assembly.

It should perhaps be noted that the backing plates 18 and 36 are arcuate as shown and their curvature is continuous throughout their respective widths. The term arched as used in the foregoing description, and in the appended claims, is intended to include both the arcuate larch shown and any -other shape which would achieve the results set forth above. For example, thel arched backing plates could com-prise two relatively straight segments with an `obtuse included angle at their apex. Such a construction would also be arched7 within the scope of the present invention.

For the foregoing description it will be apparent that the hook and eye fastener parts of the present invention are well suited to being used in the end portions of trouser,

waistbands -or the like. The abovementioned eye defined space, best shown in FIG. 3, is well adapted to receive the transversely arched tongue portion 26 of the hook element shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The backing plate 36 is preferably coextensive in length with the hook element 24 to facilitate the mating of these parts.

The invention claimed is:

1. A garment fastening device including a hook element and an eye element, one of said elements being located at one side of the Igarment fabric and being asso ciated with a backing plate on the other side thereof, the said backing plate being provided with spaced integral prongs extending through the fabric and the said one element being provided with at least one,end portion which is inturned -in spaced relationship to the body of the element and which defines a pair of prong-receiving openings facing the fabric and spaced apart by substantially the same distance separating the prongs on the backing plate, and body portion of the said one element between the said openings being arched to facilitate bending of the prongs toward each other to provide a clinched connect-ion between the element and its associated backing plate as they are forcibly connected by pressing the prongs through the said element openings.

2. A garment fastening device as `set forth in claim 1 wherein said backing plate is :also arched between its prongs to facilitate bending of the prongs toward each other as the said backing plate is forcibly connected to the said one element. Y

3. A garment fastening dev-ice including a hook element and an eye element, the Ihook element being located at one side of the garment fabric and being associated with a backing plate on the other side thereof, the said backing plate being provided with transversely spaced integral prongs extending through the fabric and the hook element having a body portion and an integral longitudinally extending tongue and Ialso having its end opposite the tongue inturned in spaced relationship to the body portion to define a pair of prong-receiving openings which face the fabric and which are transversely spaced apart 4by substantially the same distance separating the prongs on the backing plate, and the body portion of the hook element being transversely arched between the said openings to facilitate bending of the prongs toward ea-ch other to provide a clinched connection between the hook element and its associated back-ing plate :as they are forcibly connected by pressing the prongs through the said openings.

4. A garment fastening device as set forth in claim 3 `wherein thebacking plate is provided with an inte-gral tongue extending in the same longitudinal direction as the tongue on the hook element.

5. A garment fastening device including a hook ele- V ment and an eye element, the eye element being located at one side of the garment fabric and being associated ywith a backing plate on the other side thereof, the said backing plate being provided with spaced integral pron-gs extending through the fabric and the said eye element having la portion at each ofits ends which is inturned in spaced relationship to the lbody portion of the eye element and which denes a prong-receiving opening facing the fabric, the pair of thus dened openings being spaced apart by substantially the same distance separating the prongs on the backing plate, and the body portion of the eye element being arched between the said end porti-ons to facilitate bending of the prongs toward -each other to provide a clinched connection between the eye element and its associated backing plate as they are forcibly connected by pressing the prongs through the said open-ings.

6. A garment fastening device as set forth in claim S wherein said backing plate is also arched between its .prongs to facilitate bending of the prongs toward each other as the said backing plate is forcibly connected to the said eye element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 954,458 4/1910 Patterson 24-226 3,101,518 8/1963 Wood 24-227 FOREIGN PATENTS 669,094 3/ 1952 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

E. SIMONSEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GARMENT FASTENING DEVICE INCLUDING A HOOK ELEMENT AND AN EYE ELEMENT, ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS BEING LOCATED AT ONE SIDE OF THE GARMENT FABRIC AND BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A BACKING PLATE ON THE OTHER SIDE THEREOF, THE SAID BACKING PLATE BEING PROVIDED WITH SPACED INTEGRAL PRONGS EXTENDING THROUGH THE FABRIC AND THE SAID ONE ELEMENT BEING PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE END PORTION WHICH IS INTURNED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO THE BODY OF THE ELEMENT AND WHICH DEFINES A PAIR OF PRONG-RECEIVING OPENINGS FACING THE FABRIC AND SPACED APART BY SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIRECTION SEPARATING THE PRONGS ON THE BACKING PLATE, AND BODY PORTION OF THE SAID ONE ELEMENT BETWEEN THE SAID OPENINGS BEING ARCHED TO FACILITATE BENDING OF THE PRONGS TOWARD EACH OTHER TO PROVIDE A CLINCHED CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ELEMENT AND ITS ASSOCIATED BACKING PLATE AS THEY ARE FORCIBLY CONNECTED BY PRESSING THE PRONGS THROUGH THE SAID ELEMENT OPENINGS. 